Apparatus for setting cores



Nov. 30, 1954 L. c. YOUNG 2,695,432

APPARATUS FOR SETTING CORES Filed Jan 4, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

LESTER 0. YaJ/VG 1 M/WLQMJ/M Nov. 30, 1954 c. YOUNG 2,695,432

APPARATUS FOR SETTING CORES Filed Jan. 4, 19 52 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 I3 I I 2 I I i VINVENTOR. 7 LESTER a. mu/va /2 BY W da? Q fi NOV. 30, Q YOUNG APPARATUS FOR SETTING CORES Filed Jan. 4, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig 10 Ill] i INVENTOR.

LESTER 0. YOU/VG Mal NOV. 30, 1954 L Q YOUNG APPARATUS FORQSETTING CORES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 4, 1952 INVENTOR.

LESTER a. YOU/VG wow,

MA/M 401%? APPARATUS FOR SETTING CORES Lester C. Young, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Spo, Inc., a corporation of Ohio Application January 4, 1952, Serial No. 264,869

4 Claims. (Cl. 22-31) ing out, and controlling quality, but core setting still has I remained a hand operation not much improved since the first cored casting.

In the production of many castings, the cores are simply placed into the mold cavity in the proper location.

I have discovered that in most cases the cores can be set better by placing them upside down in a core jig, or

carrier, and pushed up into a downwardly opening mold cavity, and the assembly then rolled over to place the cores into perfect position and alignment. There is far less chance of unnoticed sand clumps remaining after setting cores in this manner than by the usual hand tech- 111 ue.

ikn object of this invention :is to set cores in a mold cavity by automatic machinemethods.

Another object of this invention is to assure the exact same relative position of cores in duplicate mold cavities of a multiplicity of molds.

Another object of this invention .is :to set cores in a sand mold without dropping sand clods, or other foreign objects, into the mold cavity.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, 'taken'in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of the preferred embodiment of the machinery of carrying out the improved method for setting cores;

Figure 2 is a section taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a-section taken along line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a section taken along line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a section taken along line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the turntable of Figure l, with a portion broken away to reveal the indexing mechanism associated therewith;

Figure 7 is a side elevation, partially broken away, of J .the turntabl-e of Figure 6;

,Figure 8 is a, plan view of the preferred core jig used with the embodiment of the machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure 9 is aside view of the core jig;

Figure 10 is "an end view of the core jig;

Figure 11 is an enlarged view 'of the preferred roll-over device shown in Figure ,1; and

Figure 12 is a side elevational view partly in section of the roll-over of Figure .11.

The drawings illustrate the 'apparatus'in which I prefer to carry out the improved core setting process of this invention. The finished molds, such -for example as the drag flask In the send method of casting, is brought to a closing station with the cavity of .thedrag opening downwardly rather than being :inverted as in the usual foundry procedure. Ajig fixturehas been devised to hold the cores in the, proper relationship with one another that they should assume when placed in the 'mold'cavity, but these cores are placed in an inverted position from that which the core setter in the conventional foundry places the core-when he sets them intothe mold cavity opening upwardly of the flask. At the closing station the jig with the cores therein is pushed up into the downwardly open 2,695,432 Patented Nov. 30, 1954 mold. By this procedure the cores may be exactly positioned with respect to one another and will be correctly positioned in every mold because the human element is entirely removed with regard to spacing. Furthermore, since the mold cavity opens downwardly there is no opportunity for small sand clods or other foreign matter to fall into the cavity and create a surface defect in the form of a hole in the finished casting.

Finally the flask and jig plate combination is inverted and thereby the support of the cores is transferred from the jig plate to the mold as required for closing the cope and pouring the casting. The cores now sit as they would if set by hand in the conventional foundry practice. Any dusting, glazing, or repair work can be carried out after the jig plate is stripped away from. the drag beforethe cope is closed over the drag.

The apparatus which I prefer, illustrated in the drawings, shows a conveyor 10 for delivery of a flask member 18 from the mold-making machine, whether that, moldmaking machine is a standard manually controlled machine or a fully automatic mold-making machine. Instead, however, of inverting the flask member to open the cavity thereof upwardly as is usually done after the mold is completed, it is delivered in a face down position.

The flask members 18 are rolled on to one station .of a quadruple station turntable 11 at position A in Figure 1. The turntable is then indexed to bring the flask to station B. At station B a core plate jig fixture 30, with core 32 therein, is raised up under the flask 18.

, Thereafter the turntable 11 is again indexed to bring th flask and core plate jig fixture in combination to the station C. Upon reaching station C, a pusher ram 25 moves the combination ofi the turntable and into a rollover device 35. The rollover device 35 then inverts the combination to place the core plate jig fixture on top .of. the combination and thus transfer support ofthe cores to the cavity of the mold. Finally the ram 39 of the rollover 35 forces the combination out of the rollover upon the roller conveyor 47 where the core fixture 30 may be removed and returned for refilling. At this time the cores are set within the cavity of the mold as they would have been set by conventional hand methods and may be inspected or otherwise treated before closing the mold. t

More specifically, the preferred embodiment illustrated comprises a base 12 for the turntable 11. A post 13 eX- tends upwardly from the base and the pusher ram 25 is secured .at the top thereof. Pusher ram 25 remains stationaryin the position illustrated.

The turntable apparatus 11 employs a revolving turret .14 which is rotatably bearinged on the post 13. The turret 14 is indexed by a ratchet device 15., operated by an air cylinder 16.

The turret carries four assembly stations, each of which is indicated by the reference character 17. Each assembly station comprises a short flask conveyorjsection. .20. :An elevator 211$ carried directly below the conveyorsection 20 and has a conveyor section 22 movable by a piston 23 in a vertical path between an. upper position justbelow section '20, and a lower position removed from the section As previously stated the conveyor-section 20 is provided to receive the flask members 18from the conveyor 10, and accordingly is just sufliciently long .to conveniently support the flask 1'8 thereon. This section 20 is aligned with the conveyor 10 upon indexing of the turret into the posit-ion illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. The conveyor section v22 of the elevator 21 is provided toreceive the core plate jig fixtures 39 from a core plate assemblyconveyor 33. 1

The core plates 30 are illustrated in Figures 8 through 10 of the drawings, and comprise a perforated holder plate 3 1 shaped to closely receive the particular core being supported, and a bottom support to hold the weight of the core. Thus the core is correctly positioned by extending through the silhouette cut, and is correctly spaced in a vertical direction by bottom of the core plate. Those skilled in the art will "readilyunderstand how "various core plates of this 'type can be fabricated tohold various cores in their correct lateral and "wsrtical spacing with respect to one another. The core plate jig fixtures are provided with 3 lugs 34 at opposite sides thereof to fit with the stub pins '19 of the flask members 18 to correctly position the core plate fixture with respect to the cavity within the flask member. Those skilled in foundry practice are familiar with the correct positioning of the mold cavity within the flask member 18 by the use of the stub pins 19 while making the mold cavity, and therefore will understand that these same stub pins will provide an exact lateral positioning of the cores when the core plate fixture is positioned by means of the union of lugs 34 with these same stub pins 19. Furthermore practical foundry men will understand that the cores, whether a simple core 32 as illustrated, or more complicated core constructions, may be held in their proper spacing by means of this core plate jig fixture 30. The cores are set in an exactly inverted position in the core plate from the position whichthe core setter in conventional practice would set them when placing them directly in the cavity of the mold.

As each of the assembly stations 17 is indexed to position B, the conveyor section 22 is lowered to its bottom position and is thereby aligned with the conveyor 33 to receive a core plate jig fixture from that conveyor 33. Figure 2 of the drawings illustrates the elevator 21 at station A where it is standing idle below the ne'wlypositioned flask member 18. Figure 3 of the drawings is taken at station B and illustrates the positioning of a core plate iig fixture upon the elevator 21 below the flask 18. Figure 4 of the drawings shows the closing movement of the elevator 21 to bring the core plate jig fixture 30 up into contact with the flask 18. Figure 4 is taken at station C of Figure 1. At station C, as illustrated in Figure 4 substantially the entire burden of the flask 18 and the core fixture 30 is upon the elevator 21 at station C, and accordingly the combination of the flask and the fixture can be rolled on the conveyor section 22 of the elevator 21. Thus. as previously stated, the pusher ram'25 may be actuated to roll the combination off of the assembly station and into the rollover 35. I It is to be clearly understood that the turntable closing apparatus 11 is my preferred embodiment and that the principle of closing cores from the bottom may be carried out by nonrotating apparatus (Ferris ,wheels), closing apparatus, or other conceivable apparatus which bring the cores up from the bottom as described.

The Figures 11 and 12 of the drawin s ill strate the preferred rollover device for changing the direction of travel. as well'as rollin the assembly into an inverted position with the core fixture on top. The rollover device comprises a base 36 with a yoke 37 bearing'ed thereon by a hollow spindle 38. A sprocket wheel 40 is carried in driving relationship upon the spindle 38, and a sprocket chain 42 han s over the spindle 38 in engagement with the sprocket 40. In Figure 12 the base 36 is bro en a ay to reveal the interior of the base and accordingly half of the sprocket 40 and the chain 42 are omitted from the view. An air cylinder 41 is shown in the base 36, and a similar cylinder has been omitted by breaking away a portion of the drawing. The two cylinders 41 serve to draw the chain 42 back and forth between them over the s rocket 40 and thereby oscillate the voke 37 through a 180 rotational swing.

The yoke 37 is provided with a receiving conveyor section 43 extending in a lateral direction with res ect to the axis of rotation, and a longitudinally extending delivery conveyor section 44. The receiving conveyor section 43 is spaced and positioned to align with the conveyor section 22 of elevator 21 whenthe elevator 21 is in its raised position as illustrated in Fi ure 4 of the drawings. Thus. when the pusher ram 25 moves the combination of flask and core plate fixture ofi of the assembly station, it will be rolled upon the receiving conveyor section 43 of the rollover device 35.

The rollover device, as previously described, has the two conveyor sections 43 and 44 thereof spaced in angular relationship with respect to one another. A stop 45 is provided to prevent the combination of flask and fixture from falling out of the rollover as the rollover is actuated through its swing to place the conveyor section 44 in the position occupied by section 43 irrthe. Figure 1.2. When thus inverted, the combination will be resting upon 'the delivery conveyor 44 with the core plate fixture now positioned and resting on top of the flask member 18.

Two; clamp rollers 46 are provided with air cylinders to move down against the flask member and core fixture when the combination is rolled upon the conveyor section 43, and thus will hold the combination tight against the section 43 as the rollover is operated in order to prevent a sudden jar which would break the delicate mold. Once inverted the pressure is released from the clamp rollers 46 and the assembly then settles gently upon the conveyor section 44.

As previously explained, an air cylinder ram 39 is provided to push the inverted assembly out of the rollover and on to the conveyor section 47.

This improved rollover device not only inverts the assembly, but conveniently changes the direction of travel of the assembly in a minimum of space. If a change of direction is not desired, then a conventional rollover may be adapted to carry out the last step of my improved core setting process.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A core setting device comprising, a flask conveyor section upon which a flask member may be moved from a machine conveyor aligned therewith, a core plate carrier section positioned below said flask conveyor section, said flask conveyor section and core plate carrier section having a 1st relative elevational position separated from one another a distance sufiicient to permit a core plate fixture to move onto said core plate carrier section without interference, and having a 2nd relative position closed together to bring a flask on the flask conveyor and a core plate on the core plate carrier together, a flask and core plate combined in said second position being movable from the flask conveyor and core plate carrier as a unit, rollover means having 1st and 2nd conveyor sections spaced parallel with respect to one another, said 1st conveyor section of the rollover being alignable with said core plate carrier in the said 2nd position thereof for conveying the combination of a core plate with a flask member resting thereon into said rollover, said rollover being rotatable to invert said combination of core plate and flask member and rest the combination upon said 2nd conveyor section with the core plate fixture on top of the flask member, whereby cores held by said core plate fixture are transferred into said flask member in a position predetermined by the original arrangement of the cores in the core plate fixture.

2. A core setting device comprising, a turntable, means to index said turntable into a plurality of rotative positions, a plurality of assembly stations carried by said turntable, one for each said rotative position of the turntable, each said assembly station comprising a flask conveyor section, an elevator conveyor section positioned below said flask conveyor section, said elevator conveyor section having a vertical path of travel between a loading position at the bottom of said path of travel and a closing position at the top of said path of travel, rollover means having first and second conveyor sections parallel with respect to one another, said first conveyor section of the rollover being alignable with said elevator conveyor in the closing position thereof, said rollover being rotatable to invert the position of the first and second conveyor sections, whereby a flask member may be moved -upon the flask conveyor section at one rotative position of the turntable, a core plate fixture fitted onto said elevator conveyor in the loading position thereof at the next rotative position of the turntable and elevated into contact with the bottom of the flask positioned on the flask conveyor, and the combination of flask and core plate moved as a unit upon one of said firstand second conveyor sections of the rollover means and inverted upon the other in order that cores held by said core plate fixture are transferred into said flask member in a position predetermined by the original arrangement of-the cores in the core plate fixture.

' 3. A ,core setting device comprising, a flask conveyor section having'several stations upon which a flask member may be moved' from a machine conveyor aligned therewith, an elevator conveyor section positioned below said flask conveyor section, said elevator conveyor ;section having a vertical path of travel between erg-loading position at the bottom of said path of travel and a closing position at the top of said path of travel, rollover means having first and second conveyor sections parallel with respect to one another, said first conveyor section of the rollover being aligned with said elevator conveyor in the closing position thereof, said rollover being rotatable to invert the position of the first and second conveyor sections, whereby a flask member may be moved upon the flask conveyor section at one station, a core plate fixture-fitted onto said elevator conveyor in the loading position thereof at another station and elevated into contact with the bottom of the flask positioned on the flask conveyor, and the combination of flask and core plate moved as a unit upon one of said first and second conveyor sections of the rollover means and inverted upon the other in order that cores held by said core plate fixture are transferred at a third station into said flask member in a position predetermined by the original arrangement of the cores in the core plate fixture.

4. In a machine for the production of sand molds, a roller track for transporting foundry flasks therealong, said flasks having sand therein with a portion of a mold cavity in the sand, a turntable, means to index said turntable into a plurality of rotative positions, a plurality of assembly stations carried by said turntable, one for each said rotative position'of the turntable, each said assembly station comprising a flask conveyor section, an elevator conveyor section positioned below said flask conveyor section, said elevator conveyor section having a vertical path of travel between a loading position at the bottom of said path of travel and a closing position at the top of said path of travel, rollover means having first and second conveyor sections parallel with respect to one another, said first conveyor section of the rollover being alignable with said elevator conveyor in the closing position thereof, said rollover being rotatable to invert the position of the first and second conveyor sections, whereby a flask member may be moved upon the flask conveyor section at one rotative position of the turntable, a core plate fixture fitted onto said elevator conveyor in the loading position thereof at the next rotative position of the turntable and elevated into contact with the bottom of the flask positioned on the flask conveyor, and the combination of flask and core plate moved as a unit upon one of said first and second conveyor sections of the rollover means and inverted upon the other in order that cores held by said core plated fixture are transferred into said flask member in a position predetermined gy the original arrangement of the cores in the core plate xture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,512,721 Sutton Oct. 21, 1924 2,012,478 Oyster et al. Aug. 27, 1935 2,325,501 Gedris July 27, 1943 2,570,717 Ronceray Oct. 9, 1951 

